Front Page Face-Off

As seventh grade begins, 12-year-old Delilah's passionate goal is to become a Junior Global Journalist; having been named lead reporter by the school newspaper editor, Ben, she is already researching stories. Ben has grown tall and handsome over the summer, and he's also acquired a beautiful, brilliant, and nasty French girlfriend, Ava, who is already a Junior Global Journalist. Forced to share the lead reporter spot with Ava—and to unwillingly compete with her for a spot in the exclusive Debutante clique—Delilah turns to her stepfather-to-be, who works in government defense technology, for advice on warfare, with disastrous results. While Ava is a two-dimensional stereotype, other characters are not: Delilah's best friend, Jenner, is a serious surfer; the “bad boy” Delilah exposed in an earlier article turns out to be a solid character (and potential boyfriend); and the leader of the Debutantes displays unexpected compassion. The quick-witted banter and discussion of such issues as breaking gender stereotypes should resonate with older readers, but the slapstick level of jokes and mishaps clearly mark Whittemore's (The Silverskin Legacy series) core audience as preteens. Ages 9–13. (Mar.)